Utility Tracking and Benchmarking Blog | WegoBlog

Lily Perkins-High

Recent Posts

A few of the Best Infographics on Energy Consumption

Posted by Lily Perkins-High on Thu, Sep 15, 2011

Love interesting infographics? Here are a few favorites on energy consumption and efficiency. (Click on the image to view the full graphic.) 

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Tags: Renewables, Energy efficiency, Water Conservation

WegoWise's Top 5 Links For an Energy Conscious Friday

Posted by Lily Perkins-High on Fri, Sep 02, 2011


Whether you want to be a more informed citizen or just want to kill some time before 5 on a Friday afternoon, WegoWise has got you covered. So peruse our best links, give us some feedback and be sure to share some of the info you just gleaned with other interested parties at the parties you are hopefully attending this weekend. Brought to you by DanNateSean and Lily.

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Tags: News and Policy, Energy efficiency

The Debate over the Environmental Impact of Tar Sands

Posted by Lily Perkins-High on Thu, Sep 01, 2011

The Tar Sands

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Tags: Renewables, News and Policy, Water Conservation

WegoWise's Top 5 Links For an Energy Conscious Friday

Posted by Lily Perkins-High on Fri, Aug 19, 2011

Whether you want to be a more informed citizen or just want to kill some time before 5 on a Friday afternoon, WegoWise has got you covered. So peruse our best links, give us some feedback and be sure to share some of the info you just gleaned with other interested parties at the parties you are hopefully attending this weekend. Brought to you by DanNate, Sean and Lily.

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Tags: News and Policy, Energy efficiency, Affordable housing, Water Conservation

Facebook, Google and Yahoo: Building Efficient Data Centers

Posted by Lily Perkins-High on Tue, Aug 09, 2011

Energy Use in our Data Centers

Data centers house information technology equipment, such as any computer system and associated components required to keep a website functioning. Anytime you GChat, Like a company on Facebook, make a mention on Twitter, or post an article to your blog --in short, anytime you use the internet-- your web device communicates with a data center.

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Tags: News and Policy, Energy efficiency

Boston launches residential solar power system rebate

Posted by Lily Perkins-High on Tue, Jul 12, 2011

In June, Boston’s Mayor Menino launched a pilot solar power program for the city's homeowners.  The pilot will increase the amount of solar energy in Boston from one-half megawatt today to twenty-five megawatts by 2015, or enough energy to provide all the electricity needed to power 4,000 homes. The $555,000 initiative is a part of Renew Boston and is funded by an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The program will offer rebates ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 to participants and with substantial state and federal incentives should, according to the write up at BrighterEnergy.org,  "bring average payback of a residential PV installation to less than 4 years".  Mayor Menino hopes the “...solar incentive program will help residents take the next step in greening their home through solar energy, saving money on utility bills and creating green jobs.” 

Here's a look at current renewable energy projects in the Boston area:

One exciting component of the program is an interactive solar map of Boston, produced with the help of the Boston Redevelopment Authority. The online map has multiple features, including the locations of current renewable energy projects (solar, wind, biomass and hydro) and estimates the solar potential of any Boston area building. (For example, my apartment receives 178kWh/square meter, and could generate 14,522kWh/year, saving $2,613.)

With programs like these, Boston may pass San Francisco, California and Portland, Oregon and become the greenest city in the US!

Have you installed solar panels? How long did they take to pay for themselves?

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Tags: Renewables, News and Policy, Energy efficiency, Funding

Will your boiler replacement pay for itself?

Posted by Lily Perkins-High on Thu, Jun 30, 2011

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Tags: Energy efficiency, Case Study

Free energy tracking for low income housing in Massachusetts!

Posted by Lily Perkins-High on Mon, Jun 06, 2011

WegoWise is excited to offer a free WegoPro account and set up assistance to all public and nonprofit owned low income housing in Massachusetts as a part of the LEAN Multi Family Benchmarking Inventory:

As a low income housing owner in Massachusetts, how will a WegoPro account help me?

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Tags: News and Policy, Energy efficiency, Funding, Affordable housing